British Museum
12th May 1873
My dear Sir,
Your paper on the descent of the goddess Ishtar has been order for publication in the forthcoming July number and with the commentary will I hope be finished in time there appears to be no objection to your distributing it among your friends and other even before the publication. Our part will I hope be out then. When I see B<ow?>ler to day I will ask him about a second tablet of the descent of Ishtar – perhaps it is a mistake on my part for the completion of the tablet which I mentioned. There is nothing new at present except that there is to be a ‘Congress International’ of Orientalists at Paris on the 22d July or one of the 4 last days – it is to last 8 – Assyriology is to be the subject. Oppert is I am told getting very blind his eyes very bad. There is no news of Smith – from what Rassam says Smith perhaps does not know how to post a letter from Mosal. It has to be reported to a place in Turkey such as Constantinople under cover to an agent and reported – prepaid by the agent. Without this precaution no letters reach England and there is no direct post between England & Mesopatamia Does the Daily Telegraph know this – The whole affair has been hastily and badly organized
Yours vy tly
S Birch